Dragon's Flame
by RedLegoManiac
Summary: BENDING AU: Being a firebender in secret is difficult, especially for Hiccup. With the lack of a suitable firebending teacher on Berk, who will teach him? Or can he teach himself the ways of the Dragon...
1. This Is Berk

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: Okay, so after a long time of scrolling through random pages on Tumblr, I found this little tidbit of a bending au idea. Basically the whole gang in the ATLA/LOK world, where people have the ability to bend elements and some offshoots of elements like fire + lightning or earth + metal, you get the idea. Now, I haven't put much thought into it, but I am planning on this being a multi-crossover world, with ROTBTD characters.

I now present, for your viewing pleasures; A story concocted of horrible planning, and many… many injuries. Mostly headaches. Oh, and allergies.

Chapter One : This is Berk

In the far north just above Earth Kingdom territory, but just below Northern Water Tribe territory, there is an archipelago in which many villages exist. Many generations ago, a massive war was fought between the nations. Many people in the world blamed the Fire Nation for the war, only perceiving the element of Fire as destructive, and blind to the warmth it creates, how it breathes and lives and grows. These same people were often refugees who settled the archipelago, and as time passed, coastal villages began to dot the archipelago's islands.

This is Berk. It's twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery. The village in a word? Sturdy. It's been there for seven generations. The most common attractions to such a cold island were fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. There aren't that many children, most of them are either very young, or reaching adulthood already. However, there were six teenagers who were all the same age, existing somewhere between responsibility and irresponsibility.

' _It's been ten years, Mom.'_ A fifteen year old boy sat on a cliff, facing the sea and thinking to himself. He had shaggy auburn hair that hung over his forest green eyes that never lost their brightness. His name was Hiccup Haddock, wearing a brown fur vest over a dark green tunic with brown pants on, and had a red scarf sitting comfortably around his neck. He wouldn't let the village see his weakness, they already knew he was scrawny. Weak. Useless. A non-bender, or so they thought. He was a firebender, but firebending was looked down upon in the village.

Believe it or not, but his scrawny self was the heir of the chiefdom on the island of Berk. His father, Stoick the Vast Haddock, one of the most powerful earthbenders in the world, was a hulking giant of a man with a gloriously braided red beard. Hiccup was ignored, berated, and cast aside without a second thought, an outcast inside his own village. It was dangerous for the fifteen year old boy, for villagers who had the abilities to bend earth or water picked on him, and even villagers who didn't have the ability to bend, picked on him.

Except for a few people, his blacksmith mentor, Gobber, who was more of a father for the boy than Stoick ever was. And Gothi, the eldest healer of the village also enjoyed his company, often finding herself teaching him healing practices and valuable bending form scrolls. They both knew of his ability to bend fire, Gobber used his gift in the forge, lighting the furnaces when it was too cold, and Gothi traded her valuable knowledge for heated backrubs for her arthritic bones. They kept his secret of course, knowing that if others knew the truth, he'd be shipped off the island by his own father. The Hofferson clan, a family of waterbenders, did not pick on him either. They respected his position as heir of the village even though to them, he was a non-bender.

The sounds of shouting alerted him to a group of kids his age in the forest behind him. Turning around, he saw a trio of kids, a short and bulky earthbender, and two skinny blonds, a boy and a girl, who would look the same if it weren't for their hair. The bulky boy's name was Snotlout Jorgenson, and is also Hiccup's cousin. The Thorston twins, the girl, Ruffnut, and the boy, Tuffnut, were an irresponsible duo of a waterbender and an earthbender respectively, and had half a brain to share.

"C'mon! Let's get him!" Snotlout yelled. He was wearing a tan shirt with a thick fur vest and brown pants. Tuffnut had gray wool pants, and a green tunic and wool vest. Ruff was wearing the same, except her wool vest and tunic were blue.

Hiccup stood quickly, rising to his boot clad feet and sprinting off into the forest. He quickly found a technique to running, as he did it often, so after long hours of introspection of his running stamina and speed, he was able to calculate where, when, and how, to run, jump, or climb. The trio behind him gave chase, and Ruffnut withdrew water from a side pouch, and reached forward with waterbending to catch his foot.

Snow and twigs crunched under his boots as he ran through the forest, dodging water whips and rocks as they were launched towards him. Movement to his right alerted him to Tuffnut approaching him quickly, attempting to cut him off. Hiccup was heading straight for a tree, and jumped up to kick off and change direction back towards the village. With wooden and stone buildings, he'd be able to evade his pursuers much easier. He heard more shouting and grunting as the trio behind him began to burn out, their muscles were built for strength, not agility.

He was nearing a clearing and shouted in surprise when a tendril of water grabbed his right ankle and hoisted him high into the trees. The tendril of water pushed him against a tree trunk and was frozen, leaving him stuck to the tree. He gasped at the cold and looked down, muttering to himself. "This, this isn't so bad… I'm cold, and stuck to a tree."

A teenage girl dropped to the branch he was on. She had blonde hair that was braided down her left shoulder, and the bluest eyes that he knew of. Her name was Astrid Hofferson, and she's a waterbender. Wearing fur boots, blue leggings, a leather skirt adorned with skulls and a gray-blue shirt that had metal shoulder pads attached, she was a sight to behold, and fear. Her temper is that of a firebender, but her gaze was so cold she could freeze you on the spot.

She was also the girl Hiccup has been crushing on since they were all little kids. His face reddened at their close proximity and he began sputtering. "O-O-oh-oh hi A-astrid. Hi Astrid. W-what brings you to this part o-of the f-forest?"

"I'm not here for small talk, Hiccup." Her face was close to his, since the branch was a bit small for the two of them to share. "Your father's been looking for you." She dissolved the water, and then withdrew the ice water that had melted into his clothes and bended it back into her water pouches.

"So you froze me to a tree… why?" He was actually curious. It would've been better for him to just land on his own.

She cracked a small smile at his question. "You wouldn't stop running." Astrid stated simply. They heard rapid footsteps approaching, and Hiccup held a finger to his lips.

"Hey! Where'd he go?" Snotlout asked the twins. The three of them were unaware of Hiccup and Astrid above them.

Ruffnut shrugged. "I dunno, maybe he made it back to the village." She suggested.

"Or maybe he got taken by a dragon!" Tuff exclaimed, earning incredulous looks from the two.

Hiccup made a 'what' face towards Astrid, and she responded with a shrug.

Ruff punched him in the jaw. "C'mon, we're not gonna find him here." And as quick as they came, they stalked off towards the village.

Hiccup spoke once the others were out of earshot. "Uh, thanks for that, I owe you one… or two." His voice was light-hearted, but Astrid saw the worry in his eyes.

She sighed inwardly. "Let's get back to the village."

The trip back into town was silent, neither of them talking, mostly because Hiccup was too nervous to say anything. Soon, the forest edge was in view and they split up, Astrid went to the Great Hall, and Hiccup went to his home at the top of a small hill.

He opened the door and saw the giant mass of his father stoking the fire. "Uh-hey, Dad… you wanted to see me?"

"Yes I did. Where were you?" His voice was gruff, yet Hiccup knew that as his 'fatherly tone.' He was wearing a bear fur cape. Yes you heard me right, not a platypus bear or skunkbear, just... bear. He had a heavy green tunic on, with large wool pants and a massive metal belt, the belt buckle had the Berk crest, a

Hiccup swayed on the balls of his feet. "I was out in the forest, Gobber let me have the day off." The conversation trailed off, dying for a few tense seconds before he spoke up again, "I-uh, anything you need, Dad?"

"An ice block would be great." He stated, and after a few seconds, Hiccup placed an ice block in his humongous hand. Hiccup began to climb up the stairs. "Hiccup, hold on a moment," groaned Stoick.

Hiccup paused half way up the stairs, at which height he was as tall as his father. "Uh yeah, Dad?"

"I'm heading to the Earth Kingdom for chief business. I'll be back in a month… probably." Stoick said, rubbing the ice block to his temples and hoisting a duffel bag onto his back.

"And I'll be here… maybe." Hiccup replied, though the last part was more to himself. Stoick was already out of the house before he finished speaking. Not to sound like a brat, but he was actually kind of glad his overbearing father would be gone for a month, it gave him a lot of time to himself without worry of disappointment.

He retrieved a kettle from the cupboards and poured water in it. After setting it above the fire, he retrieved dried herbs from a cabinet and used a mortar and pestle to ground them up. Gothi had taught him many blends, his favorite being a mixture used to calm his mind and body. The water began boiling, and he poured the water and the herbs into the same cup, making tea.

He took the cup upstairs to his room. The walls of his room were covered in parchment paper blueprints for machines, buildings, tools, and anything else came to mind. In the middle of his room was his bed, covered with fur blankets. On the far side of his room was his desk, where he wrote and drew and studied. A weapons rack stood adjacent to the door, where he kept his best and personal creations from the forge.

Hiccup stepped through the door into his room, and after setting the cup down on his nightstand, he sat cross legged at the edge of his bed. He closed his eyes and began to meditate, feeling the energy of his room. The small flames of the candles around his room grew and shrunk with each deep breath.

He stayed in the house until nightfall, then went to the Great Hall for supper, since Stoick didn't leave any food in their home. The Great Hall was a large building built halfway into the side of a mountain, where villagers hold dinner and various ceremonies and celebrations. The large doors had symbols of the water tribe and the earth kingdom, as well as the Berkian crest. Hiccup opened one of the large doors and slipped inside of the main room, where rows of torches were lit for light and a large fire pit in the middle for warmth. A stage on the far side of the room held the chief's table, where Stoick usually ate with Gobber and Uncle Spitelout. Hiccup didn't sit with them however, favoring a smaller table in the shadows off to the side. Noticing a few stares from the other teens, he quickly grabbed a wooden plate and served himself a fish filet and a few potatoes then went and sat down at his table.

000

A group of five teens stared at Hiccup as he sat down with his food. "Ugh, why doesn't he just leave. It'd make everything better." Snotlout huffed, taking a bite from a chicken leg.

Astrid glared at him. "Because if he leaves, we're stuck with you as heir."

"And what's wrong with that? Everyone knows I'm the best bender, and Useless can't bend." Snotlout stated.

The twins were bickering over who got what part of the hammerhead-yak steak they served themselves with, ignoring the conversation completely.

"Sorry, Snotlout," a husky blonde boy said, sticking his head up above the book he was reading, "Astrid is technically the better bender, she has a few years more experience than you. Plus, she was taught by her father; who is the best waterbender in the village." He was wearing a large fur jacket with green pants.

"Thanks, Fishlegs." Astrid said to the large waterbender.

"Yeah, so? My dad says waterbenders are weak. Earthbenders are way better."

Astrid uncorked one of her water pouches, and used a hand under the table to wrap a water tendril around Snotlout's boot. "Oh yeah, Snotlout?"

"Definitely, Babe." Snotlout answered, kissing a bicep.

That does it. Astrid tightened the grip on his boot and flung him sideways towards a wall. "I told you not to call me 'babe!'" She shouted. He landed with a thud against the wall, and dropped to the ground after a second, leaving a decently sized crack in the stone wall.

The Great Hall went silent, including Hiccup as he stared at them with wide eyes. She turned around to see her father nodding approvingly, and she flashed him a smile. Astrid withdrew the water back into her pouch and corked it before joining the rest of her family for the remainder of supper. The villagers went back to their meals after seeing Snotlout run home.

"What was all that about?" Her mother, Eliza, asked. She was one of the most experienced fighters in the village and also one of the best healers.

"She put that stuck up brat in his place." Her father, Karl, answered before she could. Going along with him, she nodded with a small smile.

Hiccup watched the family interact and talk from afar, feeling happy for them, but couldn't shake a small feeling of envy. He sighed, ' _maybe one day,'_ Hiccup thought. He stood up, going over to the kitchens to clean off his plate.

After he cleaned his dishes, he took one last glance at the Great Hall, seeing it full of people, before heading home for sleep.

000

Okay, I know a lot of people would rather have Hiccup as an airbender, but there is a small problem with that, since the airbending nomads were wiped out. I know Tenzin and the airbending family, and how they rebuilt the air temples, but since Hiccup has a dragon (which he will be meeting soon-ish) I decided to put him as a firebender. If/When I introduce other characters, I will plan on having Tooth from rotg as an airbender. Jack Frost is tricky, since he can fly (which airbenders can do), has a staff, but also controls ice and snow.

Review and tell me what you think. :D


	2. Training

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: Okay, to the guest who basically said to create scenes using fire like a flying dragon, that'd be so cool. I have to do that. Since I plan on having ROTG characters in here, I can have Sandy using his dreamsand to make scenes, except it'd be with fire, and then Hiccup could recreate that sort of feeling. Omg there're so many ideas for everything. This would be so much better if was animated or whatever, I just feel like I'm not giving enough for movements, you know? Like bending in writing for is 'Person A swings their arm forward, sending a water whip towards Person B' now, I haven't written bending like this, but fighting scenes will be hard to convey.

It's also kinda hard to write when you're grounded ( haha *laughs nervously* already doing bad in two classes.)

Chapter Two : Training

"'ICCUP!'" Someone bellowed from downstairs, causing Hiccup to jump from the bed and across the room. Panting heavily from shock, he dressed himself in a fur vest over a red tunic and black wool pants. He grabbed a sword and sheath from his weapons rack, and looped the belt over his head and under his right shoulder, abling his left hand to unsheath the sword if necessary from his back.

He opened the door to his room and looked down the stairs, seeing his mentor. Gobber was dressed in a large yellow tunic with sweat stains and brown pants held up by a large leather belt. He had two prosthetics, a missing right arm, replaced by a hammer, and his left leg, replaced by a carved pegleg. In the forge, he kept different attachments for his arm, to help him continue forging. His blonde moustache traveled down his chin in two braids, ending at stomach level.

Hiccup walked down the stairs, yawning in greeting. "Mornin' Gobber." He skipped the last steps and landed with a thump. "What brings you by this early in the morning?"

"Straight ta business, aren't ya, Lad." Gobber stated, his accent came through thicker with his morning voice. "Before yer father left, he put meh in charge of trainin.' And I need an assistant."

"So I get to see the others get hit with water and rocks all day?" Hiccup asked nonchalantly, heating a cup of water with his hands.

"Aye Lad. Say, when are ye comin' by the forge agin?" Gobber picked up a leaf wrapped bundle and handed it to him.

Hiccup added a few herbs, and heated them in the water. "I'll be there tonight; tomorrow's a normal work day, right?"

"Nah, tomorrow's Laugardagr (washday)." Gobber answered. On washdays, Hiccup was allowed to go into work late, mainly because Gobber took forever to bathe and also because only a small amount of villagers would be back in town if they opened on normal time.

Hiccup nodded, and took a sip from his tea, feeling energized and ready for the day. "The class meeting up at the arena?" Gobber nodded. "We should probably get going then, don't want to be late on the first day." He said, prepping a knapsack with things he'd probably need for the day, like bread, rope, a whetstone, and a few plants for tea.

They walked through town to the arena, a circular stone pit about eight feet deep with only one entrance. "Welcome to training!" Gobber shouted. There were small streams of water running around the arena under grates for waterbenders, and small piles of freshly unearthed rocks for earthbending. A weapons rack stood near the entrance, holding swords, hammers, and axes.

Hiccup heard Ruffnut mutter something about mauling on her lower back.

"-it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Astrid finished, hoisting up to her shoulder. Hiccup walked down the ramped entrance with Gobber.

"Yeah no kidding, right? Pain. Love it!" Hiccup drawled sarcastically.

Tuff turned to watch Gobber, and saw Hiccup. "Ah great. Who let him in?" Ruff and Tuff both had spears, choosing to match each other.

"Can I transfer to the class with the cool benders?" Snotlout piped up, Ruffnut nodded in agreement. He didn't have a weapon, deciding to rely on his bending abilities.

"Let's get started, the recruit who does best will win the honor of having a feast in their name." Gobber stated, waving his hook around.

"Like a private party?" Fishlegs asked, he was holding a stone warhammer.

"One that last for days!" Gobber explained enthusiastically. "Each recruit will be placed in a series of duels to prove their worthiness. Sometimes you will pass, other times you will fail the duel." He finished grimmly. Their eyes widened at the implications of his words. "Not to worry though! If ye fail a duel, ye can retry up to two times." He explained.

"Alright, Snotlout, Tuffnut, yer up!" Gobber said, pushing the boys towards each other.

"Whoawhoawhoa, aren't you going to teach us?" Snotlout asked, eyes wide in surprise.

Hiccup imitated Gobber and they spoke in unison, " _I believe in learning on the job!"_

Tuff grinned maniacally and didn't wait, immediately lunging at Snotlout, pitifully if I may add. "Whoa!" Snotlout cried out in shock, and threw his hands upwards bringing a thin wall of dirt upwards to protect him.

Tuffnut's spear poked through the dirt wall, causing Snotlout to jump back. Gobber stomped his foot down raising a wall and punched out windows so the other teens could watch, then replaced the missing chunks of stone in the floor.

The two duelist were grunting as they clashed against one another, in the meantime Hiccup was carrying on a full conversation in his head, not paying attention to the fight itself. He felt a smack on the back of his head. "Ow!" He turned and saw Astrid, who had a smirk on her face. "What was that for?"

"Pay attention, Gobber's going to want us to tell him what they're doing wrong." She stated, glancing at him.

Hiccup brushed some hair out from in front of his eyes. "W-what? O-oh, I'm not part of this." He said, earning a questioning look from the girl.

Fishlegs shushed them, Tuffnut had been put on the defensive, dodging the rocks Snotlout had flung at him.

Ruffnut had been watching intently, enjoying the pained expressions of the duelists. Some may say that she was sadistic. Hiccup had noticed her gleeful face and shuffled over a bit closer to Gobber, who had been standing off to the side watching without the wall in front of him.

The duel ended when Snotlout had become unbalanced by moving too quickly, and tripped after Tuffnut lunged at him. "Yer done!" Gobber called.

Snotlout scowled. "I was going easy on you." He muttered, then moved closer to Astrid. "Hey babe, wanna work out after training? I just moved into the basement."

Hiccup had to stifle a laugh when she covered Snot's head with water and froze it, leaving him stumbling around with a block of ice around his head.

"Alright! Fishlegs and Astrid, yer up!" Gobber called out.

The large timid boy and the slender feisty girl wordlessly moved to the center of the arena, then took ten paces away from each other. Gobber clanged a rock with his prosthetic hook, signaling the start of the duel.

Astrid screamed a war cry as she charged forward with her axe, and the duel ended quickly when Fishlegs turned and scrambled away like an overly oversized squirrel. Gobber sighed and facepalmed with his good hand. Snotlout had been bashing his iced head into the wall but didn't hesitate to laugh at Fishlegs, even though it was muffled.

"Alright, Ruffnut… and Hiccup. Yer up." Gobber said, taking enjoyment in Hiccup's blank expression. The teen dropped his bag and sheath on the ground. Ruffnut had tossed her spear to Tuffnut to hold, carrying an aura of confidence and sadism.

"I'm an assistant, not a trainee." Hiccup muttered, but still moved to the center of the ring with Ruffnut while Astrid and Fishlegs passed them. The others were behind a wall, and he saw Tuffnut's and Snotlout's expressions of amusement, likely thinking he's going to be pummeled.

' _Sorry to disappoint.'_ Hiccup thought inwardly. He caught Gobber's gaze and received a smirk and a nod.

The older man banged his hook on a rock, starting the match. Ruffnut immediately swung her arms outwards, sending a water whip towards Hiccup who merely stepped out of the way. She bended (bent?) more water towards him, sending short blasts which he dodged, almost as if he were dancing.

To be fair though, there wasn't much he could do. He couldn't move forward, and he couldn't stay still. He could move back… probably should, but what would that solve? It wasn't like he had a weapon, or be able to use his fire.

Hiccup rolled, and landed awkwardly on his side after Ruffnut had sent more water at him. ' _Stupid buckle,'_ he thought, then it clicked. He stood up quickly, and slipped his belt off his pants, letting them hang loosely - but not too loose - around his waist. He charged forward, nimbly dodging another whiplash.

Ruffnut froze water on the ground, making it slippery, but it didn't deter her opponent, because now he was sliding towards her. She tried punching him but he moved too quickly, wrapping her wrist in a loop then sliding around her and caught her other wrist in the lasso loop he had made.

Before she knew it, she was on the ground. "Alright! Yer done!" Gobber called out. Hiccup unwound his belt from Ruffnut's wrists, and looped it through his pants once again. When he looked up, the rest of the teens were gawking at him.

"Too much?" He asked aloud, mostly to Gobber. The man smiled, and waved his hook around to dismiss him. Without a second thought, Hiccup walked out of the arena, picking up his stuff on the way out and heading into the forest.

Gobber turned to the others after watching Hiccup leave. "Alrighty, yer free to go. We meet up agin at dinner time in the Great Hall. Make sure yer there." He stated.

AN: So, I set up a tumblr if any of you want to follow me elsewhere. No, I'm not insinuating that you're stalkers. Even if you might be. But, at least I now have a place to place all of my thoughts and random fic ideas, perhaps a chapter teaser or two? Who knows! I just got it to work, and I still don't know how to work tumblr. Anyways, this is going smoother than I expected. Of course it still feels like I'm rubbing sand paper against my eyeballs... *slightly grimaces* Thanks for reviewing and whatnot, you know, favoriting and following.


	3. Tales

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

AN: What I should actually be doing in evenings : Homework… what I actually do : Homework

If I go for a week without updating, please don't leave reviews asking me to update. While I appreciate the sentiment, I still have homework that needs to be done. I only get about thirty minutes to an hour every night to write, and for those that write too, y'all know how little time that is.

But for all shiggles and gits, let's pretend this was worked on at a reasonable pace and not binge-typed until it was done. Cool?

Chapter Three : Tales

Hiccup had left the arena after defeating Ruffnut in the duel, leaving the other teens gawking and Gobber smirking. Hiking in the forest always cleared his mind, like tea. But it wasn't tea. It smelled better, nature as genuine nature, and not boiled water with herbs. Especially if it recently rained, then it had the musty pine and cedar smell, which was pleasant.

He'd always found an enjoyment in the forest, believing in the tales of gnomes and trolls that stole socks. But only the left ones. 'What's with that?' the boy often thought to himself. Of course, the tales of gnomes and trolls were most often regaled by Gobber, who was also a great storyteller. Even though he never saw them, Hiccup felt the presence of spirits and auras around him. Mainly gentle spirits, taking the forms of small animals and the plants around him.

A shadow covered him for a split second, causing Hiccup to look up in surprise, then shook the thought off to be a bird of some kind. Continuing on, he walked down the forest incline, heading to a hidden water spring that he'd discovered… while hunting for trolls.

He came upon a cliff edge overlooking a beautiful cove. The grass was a healthy green, the tree that stood almost as high as the stone walls was still standing proudly, and the waterfall that fed the small lake made gurgling sounds as each drop hit the lake water. Hiccup smiled, remembering how he had fallen in the first time he found it.

Unaware of the forest green eyes that followed him, he stepped down a stone staircase that Gobber had made years ago, ya'know, with bending and all. Hiccup walked to the lake's edge, watching the waterfall's falling water.

A light hiss sounded out from behind him, causing the boy to tense before turning around slowly. The creature black as night stalked on four paws towards the boy, arching its back and spreading a pair of wings ever so slightly. Claws clicked on the clearing floor as It approached the boy. He realized it to be a dragon from one of Gobber's tales… or was it one of Gothi's books?

The dragon growled harshly, and Hiccup realized it was focused on his sword sheath, and knife sheath on his belt. With slow movements, he pulled the sheaths off of him and tossed them to the side, towards the water.

Gingerly, Hiccup retrieved a strip of hammerhead-yak jerky from his pack and held it out to the creature. The dragon came closer, then opened its maw to reveal gums. "...Huh, toothless?" The boy questioned, then with a snap two rows of razor sharp teeth ripped the jerky from his hands, and then swallowed in two bites, causing Hiccup to pull his arms back to his chest.

Rumbling, the dragon moved forward, Hiccup took a few steps back, tripped, and landed with his back against a boulder. "I-I don't have anymore!" He exclaimed, slightly turning away but still looking into the dragon's magnificent green eyes.

To his surprise… or disgust, the dragon began retching and spat up a mixture of saliva and jerky tidbits in his lap, then sat back on its tail. After a moment, the dragon stuck its tongue out slightly and pointed at the jerky. Looking down quickly and up at the dragon again, Hiccup's eyes darted from side to side, searching for a way out of this interaction. "I-uh-I'm alright, I've got more." He explained. The dragon shook its head.

Ahhh crud. Hiccup picked out the small jerky bits and shoved them in his mouth and swallowed quickly, then began hacking at the after taste. Still not the worst thing he's had. Gobber's cooking is way worse. He looked up at the dragon again, with a small grin.

To his surprise, and wonder, the black dragon imitated the grin, even sticking its tongue out a little bit, becoming absolutely adorable. Hiccup reached forward with his left hand, and the dragon snarled and flew away.

He watched it fly, then tilt awkwardly and crash near the large tree. This day is getting weirder and weirder. Hiccup rubbed his eyes to make sure that everything is actually what he's seeing, the black dragon had just wrapped its tail around itself, curling inwards, but the dragon's left wing was laying limp to the side.

Hiccup crept towards the dragon, and reached forward to touch the wing. In a flash, the dragon curled the wing inwards and began snarling.

Taking this as 'go away,' he did exactly that. He wanted to know more… perhaps one of Gothi's books are about dragons of the fire nation. That would be a good place to start, but the dragons are supposed to be extinct. Rain began to pour as he exited the cove, drenching him. Usually he would heat himself up to evaporate the rain, but it made more sense for him to be wet if he were coming inside from the rain.

As planned, the evening found the trainees and Gobber eating supper and talking about their earlier training session in the Great Hall. "So where did Hiccup go wrong?" His mentor asked as a rhetorical question. The boy in question had just arrived, after retrieving a 'Book of Legends and Myths' from Gothi.

"Uhh he showed up." Ruff interjected, feeling rather annoyed with her defeat.

"He didn't get eaten!" Tuffnut yelled, drawing bewildered looks from the others, Hiccup included.

"He should've used his sword." Astrid answered firmly. Their gazes dropped down to his waistline, where he had clipped the sheath.

"And where did everyone else go wrong, Hiccup?" Gobber asked, shifting his attention from Snotlout balancing a dagger on the table.

Hiccup took a moment to think. "And don't give 'em the honey. They need the hatchet." Gobber amended.

"Alright fine." The apprentice answered. "Snotlout, you focus too much on strength in your arms. Earthbenders find their strength in their cores. Tuffnut, good job going light on your feet, but you need to switch up your stance sometimes. You were a repetitive in your attacks. Fishlegs, don't be afraid of your opponent. Chances are you'll always be against a better fighter, so you have to out think your opponent." He paused to take a breath. "Astrid, I didn't see a lot wrong, but your axe seems off balanced, bring it by the forge tomorrow and I'll balance it for free. Ruffnut, you have to be quick and light on your feet, but still be able to keep balance. Water is the element of balance, and smooth motions, like a river cutting a path in the forest."

They seemed to accept his observations, though Snotlout had mainly ignored him. "Thanks Lad." Gobber said, patting the teen on the back. The auburn haired teenager grabbed a plate of fish and potatoes, and moved to a different table.

It grew late into the night, and the other teens were still sitting around talking. Don't they have other things to do? Hiccup knew Tuffnut liked skipping rocks at high speeds. Snotlout had a hobby for sculpting… even if all the sculptures were of him. Ruffnut surprisingly liked to cook. Fishlegs liked steam baths and the 'auras they emitted' as Hiccup had once been told. And Astrid, well she enjoyed training. Not hardcore, but the daily hike through the forest was a good way to stretch her legs.

Hiccup had long since finished his meal, and was reading the Gothi's book with two candles nearby for light. Alright. Two worlds, check. The physical world, containing humans and animals, and the spirit world, containing spirits of all sorts. He flicked to a different page. Winter sprites, forest nymphs, mermaids… the common spirits reside in natural habitats and can be influenced by the balance of the world.

He flipped through the pages once again, and landed on a page of fire nation myths. He read the inscription quietly to himself. "Fire Nation Sages believe in the beginning, the world was split into three. The physical realm, the spirit realm, and the Drakon realm." Hold up… three realms? "The dragons of the physical world are firebending dragons. The first firebenders. The dragons from the Drakon realm do not harness the power of the sun. They are believed to be demons of the spirit world in another form."

"Drakons are considered extremely dangerous." He read, and after flicking past pages on other dragons he landed on, "Night Fury. Speed unknown... size unknown." There wasn't a description, or a sketch of it unlike the others. "The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Your only chance, hide and pray it does not find you."

-Bork the Bold, Fire Nation expedition team 'Dragon's Edge'

"What book is that?" Fishlegs asked from behind, startling Hiccup.

"Just one of Gothi's old books." His answered satisfied Fishlegs, and eventually the others left to go home. Hiccup turned his head towards the large doors, and heard the patter of rainfall and the occasional thunder. Realizing it was very late, he headed home through the rain.

Once he was upstairs, he heated himself up with concentrated breathing and evaporated the rain off of him. One last thought entered his mind before he succumbed to slumber.

'How did the dragon get here?'

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

AN: Okay, a few things, I've written most of the storyline for this, and I know where I want it to go. I haven't been able to update because I have a lot of homework and fancy crap to do in calculus with related rates and implicit derivatives. Most of my time is eaten up by us history, with textbook reading everynight.

Other than that, thanks so much for all the good reviews, and you can probably expect another chapter this weekend.


	4. Depth

Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything

I just found a freaking website that does accents and translations. Hello correctly accented Gobber… It's called 'Whoohoo'

Chapter Four : Depth

The trainees were in the arena, with Gobber and Hiccup standing above them leaning on the chains that spiderwebbed over the arena.

Today was about agility, and so Gobber had them run… and run… and run. Since today was laugardagur, it was all fine and dandy to get sweaty and grimy. It was washday - _all day_ \- after all. Large wooden walls stood in a maze formation, and Gobber used earthbending to chase the trainees with a stone.

"Laddie, ye willnae believe whit Ah saw yesterday." Gobber said, glancing at his apprentice.

Hiccup wasn't paying much attention. "Uh huh?"

Ruff and Tuff rounded a corner, reaching a dead end. "Augh, do you ever bathe?" Ruff asked in disgust.

"You don't like it, find your own way out!" Tuff pushed her away, starting an arguement between the two twins. One of Gobber's rocks flew past them, and they scurried off to another part of the maze.

"I saw a _dragon_ wi' big black wings zoomin' across te sky." Gobber's statement perked Hiccup straight up, and he noticed. "Did ye see it, Lad?"

The auburn haired teen didn't get a chance to answer Gobber's question, as Fishlegs ran into a wall screaming, "I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" A few stones pelted the wall, punching holes through the wood at high speed.

Unfortunately, Fishlegs' impact caused a domino effect of the wooden walls falling. The others shouted in fright as the walls collapsed, and Astrid was ran up one of them. Before he knew what he was doing, he had jumped into the ring and rolled with the impact, and raced to catch Astrid.

Her scream as she jumped off the wall made it clear she was shocked. "HICCUUUP!" Astrid landed in his arms, and instinctively gripped his collarbone to make sure she wouldn't fall.

"Ooohh Love on the battlefield!" Ruffnut teased, and Tuffnut imitated a gagging noise along with Snotlout, who was scowling.

The duo blushed, and Astrid nearly jumped out of his arms, and she turned to Fishlegs with a fiery glare. "Is this some kind of joke to you!? We could've been hurt!"

Hiccup rested a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough, Astrid. It was an accident." She glared at him.

"Don't touch me!" She snapped, pushing him slightly. "Why aren't you in training, huh? Is this a joke to you too!?" Astrid advanced towards him, prodding his chest with an index finger.

"Righto! Training's over. We'll be meetin' on top the old watchtower." Gobber stated, gave the group of kids a look over, and turned around to leave the arena. The twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs didn't hesitate to run to their homes to collect soap and towels for their baths, leaving Astrid and Hiccup in the arena.

She hesitated to say anything, because she didn't know how he would respond. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've got… stuff I need to do. I'll be in the forge later." Hiccup walked briskly out of the arena, welcoming the cool autumn breeze.

He walked to the edge of the forest, before thinking about the dragon. ' _Toothless?'_ He thought to himself. ' _I guess any name is better than no name. Ach. He might be hungry.'_ Hiccup returned to his home, and grabbed a wicker basket and filled it with fish from the ice box. Yes, a 'Hiccup' idea that succeeded, long story short, earthbenders made stone cases, and waterbenders made ice and snow to fill them. On the way out of his house, he grabbed a bar of soap and a towel.

He set out on a hike to the cove, where he had seen the dragon - Toothless. Why Toothless one might ask? Retractable teeth were the best reason Hiccup had. Traveling through the green woods quickly, well… as quickly as he could with all the fish in the basket. The midday sun reminded him of the fact that it was indeed laugardagur.

The Cove was as pristine as ever, the tree stood tall and proud, and the grass was green. The black dragon was napping at the base of the tree, with his wing hanging out limply. ' _Maybe it's broken?'_ Hiccup thought to himself. "Hey Toothless~!"

Toothless raised his head and recognized the boy, then approached him cautiously. "I brought food. You like fish, right?" At the mention of fish, Toothless perked up and purred. "Alright, cool. Well here ya go." He dumped the basket over, causing several fish to slide out. "Augh that's disgusting," he grimaced.

Toothless began devouring the fish, ignoring the teen. Hiccup went to a large rock not far away and sat on it. He picked up a stick and began to sketch Toothless. A large shadow overtook Hiccup, and he stiffened, knowing the dragon was right behind him, but still added lines to the sketch.

To his relief, the dragon stomped off on his hind legs, and then Hiccup heard a snapping noise. He peeked over his shoulder, only to catch the swing of a small tree branch with his face. "Ow!" Toothless ignored the boy, and gripped the branch with his teeth, and began making swirling and crossing patterns on the ground.

Hiccup was astonished, a creature was mimicking him! Sure fire-ferrets could walk on their hind paws, but this was intelligence _, imagination!_

The dragon tapped the branch on the ground and looked towards the boy, wiggling his tail with excitement with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. The teen stepped forward, eliciting a growl from Toothless and he looked down, realizing that he had stepped on one of the lines. He lifted his foot, and the growl turned into a purr. He repeated the process of lifting his foot and stepping down. Growl, purr, growl, purr, snarl. Okay, enough of that.

He stepped over the line, and began watching where he placed his feet, swinging his arms about to keep balance. Hiccup stepped backwards one last time, and felt a huff disturb his hair. He cautiously turned around, coming eye to eye with the dragon, and he slowly reached up wit his hand.

Toothless growled slightly, instinctively leaning away. Hiccup stared through the spaces between his fingers, then turned his head and closed his eyes, giving his complete trust to the dragon. A moment in silence passed, and he felt warm, leathery skin on his palm. He felt fire course through his veins. He breathed in and out deeply, and felt himself connect to the dragon's spirit and flame.

000 Spirit World 000

When he opened his eyes, he blinked in shock and took a step back. This wasn't Berk. Hiccup gazed at his surroundings, seeing tall magnificent trees, full of color and life on every branch. In the distance he saw a field of flowers of white, red, blue, purple, and even orange flowers. He gaped, and smiled.

But… where was he?

"A splendid view, is it not?" A voice interrupted his thoughts, and he whipped around to see a turtle balancing on a wooden staff. "What is your name, human?"

"Uhh… Hiccup. Uhm… where am I?"

"Hiccup?" He was a bit freaked out by the speaking turtle. "What a weird name." The turtle said, then answered his question. "We are both in the Spirit World, and so is your friend."

"My friend?" Hiccup questioned. "I don't have many friends." The turtle blinked oddly, closing his right eye first, then closing his left a second later. To his surprise, Toothless landed on the cliff edge nearby and sat near the turtle. "What is your name?"

"My name is Oogway." The turtle said. "Why are you here, Hiccup?" He asked rhetorically.

Hiccup glanced at the open fields again, and the forest. "I'm not sure. I touched Toothless, and poof! I'm here."

"Not here physically, but spiritually." Oogway said. "You have bonded to a Night Fury, Hiccup."

"W-what?!" Hiccup exclaimed, immediately thinking of the warning from Gothi's book. "I-I thought drakons always went for the kill."

"So much fear for so little understanding." Oogway said, patting Toothless' head. "Drakons are creatures of another realm, and some have powers beyond our imagination. He was sent to you for a reason, Hiccup." Oogway limped towards the boy, and reached a claw forward, and tapped Hiccup's forehead.

Multitudes of visions flashed in his mind, some of dragons, some of beautiful landscapes, and a fire. Not a fire of destruction… but a calm, breathing fire. "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery… but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." The turtle stepped back and Toothless moved forward, nuzzling Hiccup's side. "He will teach you to wield a dragon's flame. I wish you luck, Hiccup."

000 Physical World 000

Hiccup snapped back into reality, and held a hand above his eyes as he looked up seeing the sun at high noon. Toothless snorted, and licked him. "That was weird." Toothless nodded, and shook his head to clear the side-effects of spiritual travel. "What was all that about a dragon's flame?" Hiccup asked himself, but heard Toothless grunt and huff at the mention. He looked at the dragon.

Toothless spat a small blue flame out, and Hiccup understood what he had to do. He focused on the air in front of him, and concentrated. A millisecond passed before a flame erupted in Hiccup's right palm, and he passed it to his left hand. Toothless gave a gummy smile, and nudged his right hand.

"Sorry bud, I've gotta take a bath. I'm sure Astrid's expecting me at the forge soon." Hiccup said, remembering his advice to the girl from the day before. Toothless rolled his eyes, and stalked off towards the tree. "Oh, Toothless! Lemme look at your wing."

Toothless turned around, and extended his left wing slowly. It was bent awkwardly, and Hiccup determined a splint would work to keep it in place. He picked up the branch Toothless had drawn with, tore a strip of his sleeve off, and tied it in place in alignment with the dragon's wing.

Hiccup looked over to the waterfall, and picked up the soap and towel. The sound of water drowned out every other noise, and he chose his steps carefully as he traveled behind the waterfall. There was a cavern with hot-tub-like bowls that one could wash themselves in, and he sighed in satisfaction as he slipped into the water.

0-0-0-0-0

It was getting around suppertime and Astrid still hadn't come by the forge. Hiccup was sitting in the backroom, manipulating fire to produce different images. Fire looped and twirled around his fingers and above his hands, dancing to an old wedding tune his mother had taught him, and in the fire he saw passion and warmth. He changed up the tune a little, and with each higher note the flame intensifies, on each lower note, the flame soothes.

A horse appeared in his hands, galloping across the flat of his palms, and he smiled. A clang interrupted him, and he extinguished the flames quickly and lit a couple candles with a snap. "Hiccup?" Astrid asked aloud, wondering where he was.

He stepped out of the backroom, moving the curtain separating the two rooms. "Hey Astrid." He said casually. "Did you bring your axe?"

She nodded, and took it off her back and held it out to him. It had a plain wooden handle, and was double bladed. He gripped the space just above her hands firmly and accepted the weight easily. Astrid nearly gaped when he lifted it without ease, taking it to a worktable.

He used a few different tools to disassemble the axehead and the grip while Astrid watched over his shoulder, impressed. She spoke while he worked. "I… I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to blow up."

Hiccup hung his head, looking over the axe, and smiled. Astrid Hofferson was not usually one to apologize. "It's alright. Training today was a little intense." He handed her the axe back, and she stared into his eyes, realizing that he was slightly taller than her. "I think you owe Fishlegs an apology too, he needed a new pair of pants after you snapped at him."

She laughed lightly and grinned. "Thanks Hiccup." Then she punched his arm. "That's for making me apologize." He sputtered for a second, trying to say that it wasn't his fault, then she reached forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, giving him a hug. "And that's for everything else."

He was blushing hard, and he watched her run off with the axe to the Great Hall.

000000000

Yup that's right. I just freaking included a Kung Fu Panda character in here. Asking why? Well all the bending forms are based off of actual Kung Fu techniques and practices. And since Oogway is all wise and whatever, I thought he'd fit best in the spirit world.

More fire-scenes are going to come. Just to let you know.


End file.
